Making a Difference: Doing Social Change

cancelled

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

community organizing, theories of social and political change and social movements.

Class Standing:

Sophomores or above; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

At least one full year of college with programs such as Political Economy and Social Change, sociology or community work and/or demonstrated work in a social change organization.

Faculty Signature:

Faculty will assess college-level writing skills and degree of interest in social change organizations. Students must submit a plan for working with a social change group before the quarter begins. For information contact Larry Mosqueda, mosqueda@evergreen.edu or (360) 867-6513. Interviews conducted through the Academic Fair, March 7, 2007, will be given priority. Qualified students will be accepted until the program fills.

Even a casual observation of society indicates that serious social change is necessary. The question is: What are the most effective ways to make a significant change that will be long lasting and sustainable?

Students will not only study methods of change, but also participate in local, regional, national or international groups that are making a difference and have significant promise of continuing to do so in the future. Students will determine the area where they wish to work and will come together to discuss theories of social change and test those theories in their work throughout the quarter. Our seminars will examine not only the readings for the week, but also the work each of us is engaged in for the quarter.

Total:

16 credits.

Enrollment:

25

Special Expenses:

Depends on student project.

Internship Possibilities:

With faculty approval.

Program is preparatory for:

careers and future studies in political science, law, education, government and community organizing.

A similar program is expected to be offered in:

2008–09.

Program Updates:

10.30.2006:

This program has been cancelled. A suggested replacement is People's Geography of American Empire.

Class Standing:

This lower-division program is designed for 75 percent freshmen and 25 percent sophomores.

My life has been one great big joke,A dance that’s walked,A song that’s spoke,I laugh so hard I almost choke,When I think about myself. —Maya Angelou

If you resist reading what you disagree with, how will you ever acquire deeper insights into what you believe? The things most worth reading are precisely those that challenge our convictions. —Author Unknown

I loathe the expression “What makes him tick.” It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solutions, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm.—James Thurber

Angelou invites us to consider our lives with some lightness of spirit, Thurber cautions that answers are seldom simple and that humans are complex beings, and our unknown author urges us to welcome challenges to our current convictions. We invite people to join this program who are ready to undertake serious academic work with humor, and who have a desire to be challenged and an inclination toward examining complex relationships. Though Thurber loathed the expression, “What makes him tick,” we will attempt to understand some factors that influence the development of human identity. People likely to find this program useful are those interested in the relationship of identity development to one’s sense of self as a community member and American, and one’s self-efficacy and ability to interact effectively with others.

Participants will seek answers to three primary questions: Who are we as individuals and as community members? How do people become who they are? What does it mean to be an American? Understanding the construction of our personal identities and beliefs, as well as our identities as Americans, is crucial to effective citizenship in the 21st century. We will explore these questions in a variety of ways, including mask-making; reading and analyzing novels, autobiographies, and factual materials; writing; participating in workshops; and conducting research. Participants will be encouraged to challenge and extend their knowledge through studies in human development, descriptive statistics, American history (particularly in relation to public education), group dynamics, politics of identity and spiritual development.

Fall quarter we will explore our own identity development through creative arts and autobiography. Our current understandings may be challenged and affirmed through analyzing and discussing theories of human development, including cognitive, moral and socio-emotional development. Concurrently, we will conduct survey research to gain a better understanding of our learning community. From this platform, we will explore group dynamics and effective communication skills. As we examine theories of development, we will also read ethnographies and historical texts to gain a broader understanding of contexts within which we develop. We will deepen our understandings of these texts through writing analytical papers.

Winter quarter program members will participate in either a campus organization or governance committee. These experiences will further develop understandings of group dynamics which will be discussed in weekly seminars. Each person will also participate in workshops in either Politics of Identity, or Spiritual Development in a Diverse Society. Though these workshops investigate different topics, both serve to deepen participants’ knowledge about development as individuals and Americans, and provide opportunities to practice effective communication. In addition, each person will participate in workshops about research methodologies, select an area of research related to human development, undertake appropriate research and present the results to the program community.

Total:

16 credits fall quarter; 12 or 16 credits winter quarter.

Enrollment:

46

Special Expenses:

$95 per person for field trip to be paid by October 3, 2006.

Program is preparatory for:

careers and future studies in education, human, health and social services, and psychology.

Program Updates:

02.14.2006:

Marine Life: Marine Organisms and Their Environments

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

biological oceanography, marine biology, marine science laboratory and marine science research. All credit will be upper-division science for those students completing both quarters of the program.

Class Standing:

Juniors or seniors; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

At least two quarters of college chemistry with labs, and two quarters of biological sciences with labs; college-level algebra, an ability to work easily with numbers and equations.

Marine Life focuses on marine organisms, the sea as a habitat, relationships between the organisms and the physical/chemical properties of their environments and their adaptations to those environments. Students will study marine organisms, elements of biological, chemical and physical oceanography, field sampling methods with associated statistics and laboratory techniques. Adaptations to diverse marine environments and marine microbiology will also be emphasized. The class will study physical features of marine waters, nutrients, biological productivity and regional topics in marine science. Concepts will be applied via faculty-designed experiments and student-designed research projects. Data analysis will be facilitated through the use of Excel spreadsheets and elementary statistics. Seminars will analyze appropriate primary literature on topics from lectures and research projects.

The faculty will facilitate identification of student research projects, which may range from studies of trace metals in local organisms and sediments to ecological investigations of local estuarine animals. Students will design their research projects during winter quarter and write a research proposal that will undergo class-wide peer review. The research projects will then be carried out during spring quarter. The scientific process is completed when results of the research projects are documented in written papers and students give oral presentations during the last week of spring quarter. Because the research project continues across two quarters, students are strongly recommended to commit to both quarters of the program.

Major areas of study include:

Class Standing:

Sophomores or above; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

Students must achieve a passing grade on the entrance quiz that includes math competence and pass a swim test.

Faculty Signature:

Interested students should contact the program secretary, Julie Douglas, (360) 867-6550 or douglasj@evergreen.edu or The Evergreen State College, Sem II A2117, Olympia, WA 98505, for an information packet, prerequisite quiz and to make an appointment for an interview with the faculty.

This program will focus on the study of coastal and estuarial communities and how they have evolved economically and culturally over the centuries. Through the natural advantages provided by the sea, Puget Sound provides a rich laboratory for the study of maritime communities and maritime commerce. In addition, our investigations will also take us to other parts of the world to examine early maritime exploration, the development of sailing and navigation technologies and the beginnings of cross-cultural trade. Areas of study will emphasize economic and community development and the evolution of contemporary world markets in the global economy.

An active sail training component will provide students with a rich opportunity to learn power cruise and sail seamanship, including coastal navigation and “sailor’s arts.” Activities will include field trips to various industries and organizations to observe and learn first-hand how Puget Sound entrepreneurs participate in the capitalist free market and the global economy, building wealth and creating jobs for themselves and others. The program will require each student to engage in an extensive study of a local community. Students may develop part-time internships during winter quarter that support their individual maritime career interests.

Students should plan on at least one very long day per week on board the vessel and expect to help with its maintenance. Students should be willing to enroll full-time for the two quarters.

Total:

16 credits each quarter.

Enrollment:

12

Special Expenses:

$500 boat fee each quarter.

Internship Possibilities:

Winter quarter with faculty approval.

Program is preparatory for:

careers and future studies in management, business, community development, transportation and a variety of marine oriented occupations.

Math in the History of Science

new

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

mathematics, computing, teaching and the sciences.

Class Standing:

This all-level program offers appropriate support for freshmen as well as supporting and encouraging those ready for advanced work.

Science emerged with a fundamental reliance on mathematics as a powerful language for expressing the character of the observed world. Mathematics in the History of Science will study the mathematical abstractions and techniques that evolved hand-in-hand with scientific understanding. The common basis for the mathematics we know today arose from ancient Greek philosophies and the scientific revolution of the 17th and 18th century when the predictive power of science became a significant influence on the world. Students will have an opportunity to develop the mathematical concepts and skills of today by expressing, analyzing and solving problems within the original historical contexts in which they arose in the natural sciences.

This program is intended for students who want to gain a fundamental understanding of mathematics before leaving college or pursuing further work in mathematics, teaching, or the sciences. The emphasis is on the development of fluency in mathematical thinking and expression while reflecting on the role and influence of mathematics in the history of science.

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

Class Standing:

Priority given to juniors or seniors; qualified sophomores may apply.

Prerequisite:

Two quarters of an Evergreen interdisciplinary program or the equivalent.

Faculty Signature:

Students must submit a written application and a Faculty Evaluation of Student Achievement (an informal one is acceptable if it is complete); transfer students must submit an unofficial transcript and a letter of recommendation from a previous faculty. Applications will be available by April 14, 2006, from Program Secretary, Seminar 2, A2117. Applications are due by the Academic Fair, May 17, 2006. Qualified students will be accepted until the program fills.

Mediaworks is for students who want an intensive immersion in the theory and practice of nonfiction film and video. Documentary, experimental film, autobiographical film and video, video art and multi-media are some of the genres we learn to make and analyze in this program.

Mediaworks emphasizes the linkage of theory and practice. Students will develop a skill base in digital video, film, audio and multi-media, but should also aspire to do upper-division work in critical thinking, reading, writing and media design. We pay close attention to image construction and the politics of representation—especially to constructions of race, class, gender and sexuality. We encourage the development of critical perspectives on commercial and mass media. We study historical, aesthetic and ideological issues that have influenced nonfiction filmmakers. We focus on image-makers who have expanded the possibilities of visual and aural expression—of what can be said about that slippery, multi-faceted thing called “reality” and our place in it.

In fall we’ll learn pre-production design, digital video production, digital sound recording and editing. We’ll discuss theoretical/critical readings and analyze films that have significantly contributed to our understanding of film/video language and form. In winter we’ll further develop skills in digital video, film, installation and multi-media. Fall and winter quarter projects will be produced collaboratively and are designed to explore a range of formats and styles. Each student will also complete a proposal for a spring quarter independent project. Spring projects can be implemented individually. Throughout the year students will be expected to research films, write short critical papers and contribute fully to seminar discussions of films and texts.

Mediaworks emphasizes the process and product of media work, through collaborative production, work-in-progress critiques and seminars. We seek to develop a collaborative community of aspiring media makers who can support each other in exploring new ideas and forms of expression and in developing a sense of personal vision and direction.

Memory of Fire: Spain and Latin America

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

Spanish language, history and literature of Spain, history and literature of Latin America, research and writing and additional subject areas depending on the country of travel and students’ projects or internships completed during spring quarter.

Class Standing:

Sophomores or above; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

Some college-level study of history or literature.

Memory of Fire, the title of Eduardo Galeano’s historical/fictional trilogy on Latin America, captures the human need to create memories of the past in order to understand the present. The image of fire embodies the violent relations among ethnic and religious groups on the Spanish peninsula that led to the violence of the Conquest: fires of the Inquisition, fires of imperialism. Yet, the image of fire also embodies the brilliant enduring spirit of the convivencia among Muslims, Jews and Christians which preceded the violence, and the creative religious fervor of a 16th-century Spanish mystic like Santa Teresa de Jesús. This image also conveys the spark of Latin American resistance in Guaman Poma’s drawings, representative of many such actions by indigenous and mestizo people in the Americas past and present. The convivencia and resistance are works of the imagination.

In this program, students will engage in an intensive study of the Spanish language as well as study the literature remembered, imagined and recorded by Spaniards and Latin Americans in historical context. We will critically analyze selected literary texts from medieval times to the present. Every week will include seminars on readings in English translation, Spanish language classes, a lecture delivered in Spanish and a film in Spanish.

In the fall, we will give particular attention to the diversity of Spanish society leading up to the conquest of the Americas, and to the ways that domination and resistance have shaped the history of the peoples of Latin America. We will explore the medieval convivencia in Spain, and the ideas and institutions growing out of the Christian “Reconquest” of the peninsula. We will attempt to relate the Reconquest world view and the rise of the Inquisition to the subsequent conquest of the Americas. For the rest of the quarter, we will explore Spain’s decline as an empire and Spanish American struggles for independence.

During the winter, we will look at literature, politics and memory in contemporary Spain and Latin America. Topics may include: collective trauma and memory after the Spanish Civil War and after dictatorships in the Southern Cone; struggles against U.S. imperialism and for self-determination in contemporary Nicaragua; cultural, economic and political resistance within Andean and regional Spanish communities.

Spring quarter will offer opportunities for study abroad in Santo Tomás, Nicaragua, or southern Spain, as well as internships with local Latino organizations for those who stay on campus. All classes during the spring will be conducted in Spanish.

Total:

16 credits fall and winter quarters; 16 for study abroad in the spring; 8, 12 or 16 for students remaining on campus in the spring.

Prerequisites:

One of the goals of scientific inquiry is to understand the processes of nature on a quantitative basis. In pursuit of this goal, mathematicians create models to represent the order they observe, and in turn devise mathematical methods for interpreting and solving these models.

This program will provide a thorough and engaging introduction to such mathematical methods and the associated techniques of model building. Differential equations will be an important component of the program. We will study both the derivation of these equations from physical and biological models and their solution using analytical, qualitative and computational methods. In addition, we will study linear algebra and multivariable calculus and their various applications in physics and economics. In winter quarter, we will consider non-linear systems and their role in cyclical, chaotic and self-organizing behavior. There will also be an introduction to the calculus of variations with applications to finding optimal curves and surfaces. In addition to the theoretical work, we will also discuss questions of a more philosophical and historical nature. Is mathematics discovered or created? What role do mathematical models play in representing reality? Who were the people behind the important developments in calculus?

Students will attend weekly lectures, workshops, seminars and computer labs, and will be expected to give two oral presentations each quarter and write one research paper.

A similar program is expected to be offered in:

Academic program Web page:

Mind and the World

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology and moral), history of philosophy, history of science and writing (expository and argumentative).

Class Standing:

Sophomores or above; transfer students welcome.

A central issue in Western philosophy has been whether reason or experience lies at the foundation of human knowledge. Experience can lead us astray, and it seems reason can undercut what we thought we knew best. Does science best tell us what is real and what merely seems to be real? Or when in doubt should we rely most heavily on common sense? Are these questions that we must confront individually, or is our capacity to know things only to be worked out within a community?

At the very least, centuries of discussion and debate have brought such venerable questions into sharper focus and succeeding generations of thinkers have found that earlier answers had to be reconsidered. Surely they remain relevant today in a culture that debates both the role of faith and the relevance of scientific study in determining public policy. Our work in this curriculum will concentrate on the relationship between science and common sense, but we will pay attention as well to the relationship between thought and action, and the relationship between our place in the world as knowers and as moral agents.

Fall quarter, following a short background in ancient thought, we will study works of the 17th- and 18th-centuries Rationalists—Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz—and Empiricists—Locke, Berkeley and Hume.

Winter quarter we will delve into the challenging work of Kant and Hegel, taking time to discover how this work has set the stage for much that followed in the 20th century.

Spring quarter will bring us to the early 20th century, when disputes between Rationalists vs. Empiricists, and Idealists vs. Realists, were transformed by a “linguistic turn.” Language rather than faculties of mind became the central subject of discussion. “Philosophical Analysis” arose in two main currents: one that flowed from breakthroughs in formal logic, another that found its sources in ordinary language. By mid-century, a profound shift had occurred that undercut the very distinction between “rationalism” and “empiricism”—a shift that laid the groundwork for many currents in “post-modern” thought. Virtually every discipline in the humanities and social sciences has been deeply affected by this mid-century development.

Students will write expository and argumentative essays, learning how to use writing to develop their own thinking about complex issues. They will participate in peer-response exercises both in class and on the Web. Student work will be supported by lectures that present both overviews and details of how specific texts fit into venerable controversies over whether and how humans can progress from mere opinion to secure belief, or even confident certainty.

While the reading will largely be original works in philosophy, we will take time for excursions into literature and other arts.

Total:

16 credits each quarter.

Enrollment:

25

Program is preparatory for:

careers and future studies in the humanities, sciences and social sciences.

Molecule to Organism

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

Class Standing:

Juniors or seniors; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

One year of college-level general chemistry and one year of college-level introductory biology.

Molecule to Organism explores the composition of organisms to gain insight into how they function by the integration of two themes: one at the “organismal” level and one at the “molecular” level. In the organismal theme, we will start with cell and molecular biology and proceed to studying whole organisms. We will examine structure and function relationships at all levels, including some anatomy and physiology. In the molecular theme, we will examine organic chemistry, the nature of organic compounds and reactions that carry this theme into biochemistry, and the fundamental chemical reactions of living systems. As the year progresses, the two themes will merge through studying the cellular, molecular and biochemical processes in physiology and neurobiology.

Most aspects of this program will contain a significant laboratory component. Students will write papers and maintain a laboratory notebook. All laboratory work and approximately one half of the non-lecture time will be spent working in collaborative problem-solving groups. The program will also contain reading and discussions of topics of current and historical scientific interest and controversy. Spring quarter will allow more flexibility for students who wish to take part of this program in conjunction with other work.

This program is intended for students who plan to continue studies in chemistry, laboratory biology, field biology and the medical sciences. This program will include organic chemistry and upper-division work in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology and physiology in a yearlong sequence.

Motion: Physics and Philosophy

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

Class Standing:

This all-level program offers appropriate support for freshmen as well as supporting and encouraging those ready for advanced work.

Prerequisites:

Proficiency in pre-calculus and trigonometry extremely important; high school physics helpful but not required.

What is the nature of physical reality? What is energy? What is time? We will examine the answers to these questions that shocked great thinkers like Newton and Einstein. The topics we cover in physics and calculus will be similar to those covered in rigorous first-year courses at other universities, including an introduction to relativity and quantum theory. In addition, we have the luxury of having time to study the beliefs of some of the founders of modern science. Our primary emphasis will be on the conceptual and technical skills needed to solve problems in physics and mathematics. In our discussions of texts on the philosophy and history of science, we’ll also focus on critical thinking skills.

Most non-scientists think that science is about “facts,” but most scientists agree that science is primarily concerned with creating models. One of our main goals for the program will be to determine the qualities of a “good” model and when it is preferable to use a better model and when it is not. It may surprise you that Newton, Einstein and many other founders of modern science thought that their religious and philosophical beliefs were more fundamental than their scientific beliefs. We’ll see how they usually tried to force their scientific models to be consistent with their philosophical views, but occasionally accepted experimental results that forced them to modify their beliefs.

Our current “best” model of physical reality has two pillars: relativity and quantum mechanics. By the end of the first quarter, we’ll be ready for a solid introduction to special relativity. During winter quarter, we’ll cover electromagnetism and quantum theory.

The program is designed for students seeking a strong background in physics and mathematics as well as for further serious study of the natural sciences. Students completing this program will be prepared for more advanced study in physics and mathematics. This program fulfills some of the prerequisites for the following science programs at Evergreen: Physical Systems, Astronomy and Energy, Mathematical Systems, and Mathematical Methods.

The program will be a lot of fun and a lot of work. Come ready to start the intense work on the first day.

Major areas of study include:

Class Standing:

Seniors; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

One year of study in an interdisciplinary liberal arts program with some background in issues of diversity and inclusiveness and one year of study covering general principles of psychology. Transfer students are welcome in this program and are invited to document their work in psychology, cultural studies and liberal arts education for admission.

Faculty Signature:

Students must submit an application, available by April 10, 2006, from the Program Secretaries office, Lab II 2250. Applications received by the Academic Fair, May 17, 2006, will be given priority. Qualified students will be accepted until the program fills.

We will explore ways psychology can be of service in an increasingly diverse society by addressing the concepts of mental health, the mental health system and psychological counseling that are critical to the creation and maintenance of healthy communities. We will address theoretical and experiential aspects of multicultural and transpersonal psychology in a community context, and how psychology can contribute to the current United Nations Decade of Nonviolence. Students will learn social science research methods in the context of a counseling practice.

Multi-modal expressive arts laboratories based on person-centered psychology will be explored throughout the program. As described by Natalie Rogers, an international leader of expressive arts therapy, and daughter of pioneering psychologist Carl Rogers, “The combination of expressive arts—the integrated process of using movement, visual art, music, journal writing and drama—and person-centered listening are powerful, creative ways to become aware of our feelings about world events and to transform these feelings into self-responsible action. The expressive arts bring us into balance by engaging our imagination, intuition and spiritual capacities. As we gain an internal sense of peace, our way of being in the world shifts, bringing inspiration and wisdom to others.” No previous art or movement experience is required. Students need to be willing to work with psychological theory and self-knowledge through expressive arts, co-counseling, cultural identity work and mindfulness practices.

A similar program is expected to be offered in:

Academic program Web page:

Museums

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

visual communication, cultural studies and museum field studies.

Class Standing:

Sophomores or above; transfer students welcome.

Museums display the past, and they also display the ways we think about the past. Museums are therefore contested spaces where we “argue” differing interpretations of the past and the meaning of artifacts. In this program, we will explore the contested nature of museum displays: of art, natural history, history and technology.

How can we represent the past? What are museums for? Whom are they for? What can we learn from the study of a museum exhibit? Does it matter if we see Michelangelo’s Pieta in person or on the web or in Janson’s The History of Art ? How do virtual museums represent the past?

For the first six weeks of fall quarter we will prepare for our individual field study of a museum. We will study visual representation, culture, digital and visual theory, documentation, museology, drawing and observation through a series of workshops, lectures, readings, field trips and practical assignments.

During weeks seven and eight, everyone in the program will conduct in-depth field studies at a specific museum anywhere in the world: From Paducah to Paris! From Anchorage to Ankara! Back on campus we will present our museum projects to the program.

How will each of us choose where we want to do our field studies? Maybe a place (a favorite city, a country, or your home town) will lead you to a museum. Maybe one of your passions (a love of painting, flying, science fiction, anime, literature, history, etc.) will inspire your choice. In any case we will ask you to identify your choice for your field study by the end of week one.

This program is also listed under:

Academic Program Web Pages:

Music Composition for the 21st Century

Faculty:

Major areas of study include:

music composition, music history, musical aesthetics and research presentation.

Class Standing:

Juniors or seniors; transfer students welcome.

Prerequisites:

One year of college-level music study or the equivalent.

If you are interested in developing your creative voice in music, this is the program for you. This upper-division program in formal composition is designed to support students who are interested in writing original music for various instruments and contexts. The program reading and listening will focus on recent trends in contemporary classical music, such as the work of John Cage and Steve Reich. This is not a program in songwriting, “electronica,” or hip-hop related music.

Students will study composition, aesthetics and contemporary music history in order to gain the broadest possible perspective on these subjects as well as develop the greatest number of related skills. There will be practical, historic and aesthetic components within the program that will endeavor to place contemporary compositional practices within stylistic and cultural contexts.

In fall, students will compose a solo, a duet and a small ensemble piece. In winter, students will write a prepared piano piece, a top 40s-style pop song, and an ensemble piece of their own choosing. These pieces will be presented to the members of the program during a weekly composition forum. Students will also research related topics and present their findings in an oral report to the program. A concert of original pieces will be presented at the end of winter quarter.

This is a 12-credit program. Students are expected to take a skill building course listed in the Evening Weekend Studies catalog, such as Music Theory,16-credit course of study.